Does Landscaping Add Value to a Property?

**themindofmoney** · 09-20-2010 08:12 PM

If you completely landscape an overgrown empty lot, how much vale does this add??
Is it worth it?

**akula** · 09-20-2010 09:05 PM

ummm..in my experience, not much
with an empty lot, how much value can landscaping add?
the person buying the land will be ripping everything out anyways to put up a buiding..so, there is no reason for the buyer to pay extra for a perfectly manicured lawn..

i don't think landscaping adds much value (other than the emotional "buy-in") because this value would be difficult to quantify.
how much extra would you pay for a property because it's got a pretty hedge? hard to say.

on another hand, what does add value to commercial or residential real estate are solar panels.
buy making the property self sufficient, in terms of energy consumption, you can significantly increase it's value because solar panels reduce the "ownership cost" of holding that property

a 1.5kw system can be put in for under $3k which generates enough electricity for a family to live on. the average family spends about $1.5k p.a. on electricity so the system pays for it self in 3 years. after that, the electricity for the home is "free"...so yea...and then if you're selling that property, the solar panels might add as much as 20k to its value or more

**themindofmoney** · 09-20-2010 09:37 PM

thanks for the reply, solar panels wind power.. great idea
but, when i say landscaping, i don't mean hedges, i mean planting a small orchard and expensive gardens (all self grown) while still leaving plenty of space for a house. maybe even referring buyers to home builders.

**akula** · 09-20-2010 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by themindofmoney

thanks for the reply, solar panels wind power.. great idea
but, when i say landscaping, i don't mean hedges, i mean planting a small orchard and expensive gardens (all self grown) while still leaving plenty of space for a house. maybe even referring buyers to home builders.

yea i see....
umm, from a buyer's perspective, I wouldn't like to pay extra for a "a small orchard and expensive gardens"
the reason is that I'd want to do my own landscaping to suit my particular taste/needs..plus, if I'd want to shop around my self to find my own landscapers because I'd want to make sure that I'm paying the lowest price for landscaping

of course, the other service that I would like when buying land is a form of price protection to make sure that if land values go down, I won't be out of pocket. property prices are volatile. when I buy land with a view to put a building on it and then resell it, I'd be worried about decling property prices, because what might happen is that I buy the land, prioperty prices go down and I'll have to sell the property at a loss.

something to ease my mind in that regards would be worthwhile

**cube3** · 09-21-2010 02:25 AM

perhaps you could just trim the landscape so that it looks neat enough . That will be sufficient.

**DerekS** · 09-25-2010 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by themindofmoney

thanks for the reply, solar panels wind power.. great idea
but, when i say landscaping, i don't mean hedges, i mean planting a small orchard and expensive gardens (all self grown) while still leaving plenty of space for a house. maybe even referring buyers to home builders.

Landscaping unimproved land probably adds no value. If the property is an eyesore, it might make the neighbors happy, but an potential buyer cares more about the specs than the way the the lot looks before construction.

They'll destroy any/all landscaping on a smaller lot with excavation equipment anyway.

**generationy** · 09-26-2010 09:15 AM

Great question! Anything you do to your home in terms of improving and adding features will increase its value (as well as taxes later on). So if you are building an extra room inside or adding an amazing garden or pool outside, it will attract people as well as increase your value. Some homes are known for having amazing gardens and are bought simply on the basis of that. Good luck!

**DerekS** · 09-27-2010 05:45 AM

Originally Posted by generationy

Great question! Anything you do to your home in terms of improving and adding features will increase its value (as well as taxes later on). So if you are building an extra room inside or adding an amazing garden or pool outside, it will attract people as well as increase your value. Some homes are known for having amazing gardens and are bought simply on the basis of that. Good luck!

Try reading the original post. The question is about unimproved land.